Glencairn Street School

This is a clipping from the top of a billhead showing the Glencairn Street School.   An education act was passed throughout Scotland in 1872 which made local school boards responsible for introducing compulsory attendance at school for all children between the ages of 5 and 12. This led to the necessity to improve the accommodation at existing schools and the construction of many new schools throughout the country. In 1875, Kilmarnock opened a new academy which could provide the educational needs for up to 700 children. Although this was a vast increase in capacity it still wasn’t enough and two other schools also opened in the town the same year which could accommodate around 400 pupils each. These were the High Street School and this one, Glencairn Street School.  The first headmaster at the school was Thomas Scott.